America's Worst Airports

It’s a drag to fly through these lackluster airports, according to Travel + Leisure readers.

No. 7 Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

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It’s rare to hear an encouraging word about LAX. So when readers declare that the airport’s shopping is respectable—giving it a ranking of 36 out of 67—that may be a backhanded compliment. Check-in, design, and location were all considered a drag. But things should look up for travelers at LAX with the expansion and renovation of Tom Bradley International Terminal. It reopened in September 2013 with massive LED multimedia screens and charging stations; many restaurants and shops are scheduled to roll out in the coming months.

America's Worst Airports

No. 7 Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

It’s rare to hear an encouraging word about LAX. So when readers declare that the airport’s shopping is respectable—giving it a ranking of 36 out of 67—that may be a backhanded compliment. Check-in, design, and location were all considered a drag. But things should look up for travelers at LAX with the expansion and renovation of Tom Bradley International Terminal. It reopened in September 2013 with massive LED multimedia screens and charging stations; many restaurants and shops are scheduled to roll out in the coming months.

A southern airport named for a political power couple ranks as the nation’s worst. But don’t blame partisanship—Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, AR, earned the lowest score from a consensus of travelers.

They voted in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards survey, and the results are in. We tallied the votes for 67 domestic airports in six categories: flight delays; design; food and drink; shopping; check-in; and location. When an airport failed miserably in one of these categories, the other scores were typically low as well.

Many offenders are aging big-city airports like New York City's LaGuardia, with overtaxed infrastructure and chronic delays. Airports that are tough to access and have long security lines exacerbate the stresses of travel.

Once you’re inside, they sink further in estimation if the food choices are fast-food haunts that make you wish you’d eaten before you checked in. When the delay announcement shows up on the screen, it’s like adding insult to injury.

But it’s not a matter of chance. We’ve analyzed the data, so read on for America’s worst airports.